The Konoha Six
by A Random Story Generator
Summary: Before the Akatsuki, before Naruto, before they were legends: the Konoha Six.  Meet Sakumo Hatake, Mikoto Uchiha, Kushina Uzumaki, Minato Namikaze, Kaen Nara, and Taki Yamashita in the story before the story. R & R!
1. School's Out

**AN:**

**Hello!**

**This is just something I felt like putting down. If you think you'd like to see more, review! Also, I don't own Naruto...not even a little...  
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**/AN  
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For those wondering, here are the (canon) backgrounds of the main characters:

Sakumo Hatake: Kakashi's father; the White Fang of the Leaf

Kushina Uzumaki: Naruto's Mother; Ninetails jinchuuriki

Minato Namakazi: Naruto's Father; the Fourth Hokage

Mikoto Uchiha: Sasuke's Mother

Dan: Tsunade's lover

Kaen Nara: Original character; member of the Nara clan.

Taki Yamashita: Original character

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**Chapter 1: School's Out**

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Kaen analyzed the distance again, gauging the flight path for at least the fourth time. Cocking his wrist back, he waited—holding his breathe until the perfect moment. The door sliding open gave him his opportunity. As the red-haired kunoichi in front of him turned at the sound, Kaen's arm extended, sending his projectile speeding towards her.

The small brush swept elegantly across Kushina's throat—leaving a thin black line in its wake.

"WHAT THE HELL! WHO DID THAT?", Kushina's chair hit the floor as she stood, sweeping the room with murder in her eyes. Halfway into the room, Dan considered whether it was too late to convince Sarutobi that he had fallen ill and couldn't teach his class.

'_BULLSEYE! Now, stage two!'_

Carefully schooling his features into his best 'I don't give a shit' face, Kaen braced himself. Meeting Kushina's blazing eyes he felt a smile start to pull at the corner of his mouth. Fighting against the urge, he managed to barely get out the line he had prepared before he was forced to hide his face.

"I told Minato it wouldn't be that funny."

At the sound of his name, the blond-haired shinobi seated next to Kaen turned—and met Kushina's fist.

"What the hell is your problem Namikaze!"

Kaen was having trouble stifling his laughter as the red-haired demon picked up a shocked and very confused Minato by the collar.

"Wha—", another punch sent Minato sprawling on the floor. Kaen reaffirmed his mental note to never get on Kushina's bad side—it was downright dangerous.

As Kushina advanced slowly towards the still stunned Minato, Dan gave up on the possibility of skipping class, instead entering the room and slamming the door behind him quite a bit louder than necessary.

"Uzumaki, I assume you have a good reason for striking one of your classmates?", Dan did his best to sound angry with the hot-headed girl.

"I do! Look what he did!", Kushina proudly raised her chin and displayed the black line across her throat.

"I noticed that mark Ms. Uzumaki. I was wondering whether you had a good reason for striking Minato.", Dan made his way to the desk in the front of the room and dropped his bag beside it. Pulling a few papers out, he raised his eyes to meet Kushina's.

"I already told you! He did it!", Kushina met her sensei's eyes, sending him a glare that actually scared Dan—until, of course, he realized the source was a twelve-year-old girl.

"And how do you know he did it, Kushina?", Dan began messaging his temples—it was going to be a long day.

"Because Kaen said he did!"

Sitting next to a now recovered Minato, Kaen tried very, very hard to hide from his bestfriend's glare, while shifting his body into position for a quick exit. Sensei was taking this conversation onto very dangerous ground.

"And what, Kushina, makes you think you should trust another shinobi? Isn't deception one of a shinobi's most fundamental skills?" Kaen slid his chair back ever so slightly, calculating whether he would be able to make it to the window before Kushina could catch him.

Dan let out a smile as the meaning of his words sunk in and understanding dawned on Kushina's features. He had little doubt that Kaen would pay for his prank, but he would save him for now—he owed the soon to be pummeled boy that much.

Besides, it was one of the better pranks this week.

"Everyone to your seats. Class started five minutes ago, and I have a special treat for all of you at the end of class."

The next hour of class was typical; Dan stood in the front lecturing on anything and everything—he was the best teacher in the academy, Sakumo had no doubt of that. Nonetheless, the table was looking wonderfully comfortable at the moment; maybe he would only take a short nap today. Sakumo lowered his head onto the table in front of him, letting out a sigh of contentment at the cool feeling of the wood against his cheek.

"HATAKE! Today is a short class! You can stay awake for the last fifteen minutes!"

Sakumo vaguely registered Dan yelling at him in the background; it didn't really matter. He had one of the best scores in the class—who cared if he fell asleep every once in a while? Pleased with his reasoning, Sakumo nestled his head a little further into the comfort of his folded arms.

"BAKA! Wake up!"

Taki followed her whisper with a sharp elbow to her friend's side. Turning, Sakumo frowned at the source of the disturbance.

"What? I was enjoying my nap…"

"He just said we were getting out of class in FIFTEEN MINUTES! He's cutting class by TWO HOURS!"

Sure enough, a perusal of the class showed a large number of smiles and a few still celebrating the news.

"Sweet, but I can still sleep for fifteen more minutes."

Next to him, the brown-haired Taki face-faulted.

"Baka! Don't you think there might be a **reason **we're getting out of a class early? You know, seeing how IT'S NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!"

Sakumo grimaced as another elbow made contact with his now sensitive ribs.

In the front of the classroom, Dan let out an obviously fake cough. "If you're all finished now", Dan's eyes swept across his class, spending extra time on Taki and Sakumo. The latter whinced as another elbow made contact with his abused ribs. "I'm happy to announce that you've all graduated from the academy! Better yet," , Dan flourished a piece of paper covered in writing, "I even have your teams. Each of your jounin instructors has chosen a meeting place, so after I call your name, meet your teammates and proceed to your designated area."

With a sigh, Dan noted that, for the first time that year, everyone in the class was paying attention to him. It really wasn't fair.

"Team One: Shukaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, and Inoichi Yamanaka. Meet at…really?...the BBQ restaurant near training ground 2…"

With every team that was listed, Minato and Kaen leaned further forward in their seats, waiting for their names.

"Team Seven: Minato Namikaze,"

Minato stopped breathing, meeting Kaen's hopeful gaze with his own.

"Kaen Nara"

The loud crack of a high-five split the room. Despite the smile tugging at his lips, Dan pressed forward.

" and Mikoto Uchiha. You'll be meeting—"

"WHAAT? Why do we have to be with her?"

Beside Kaen, Minato turned a bright shade of red and did his best to pretend he didn't know the boy next to him. Ignoring Kaen and the death glare being directed at the back of his head by Mikoto, Dan pushed forward.

"at Training ground 3. Team Eight: Sakumo Hatake, Kushina Uzumaki, and Taki Yamashita. You'll be meeting at training ground 3 as well. That's all! Today was your last day of class at the academy, from now on you'll be training under your respective jounin instructors! Congratulations!"

With a loud cheer, the classroom erupted into chaos as students rushed for the door.

"Wait! You'll get your headbands tomorrow morning! The ceremony is tomorrow morn…."

Dan found himself staring at a very empty classroom.

'_I hope no one tells the Hokage I cut class short today…'_


	2. Bells

**AN:**

**I still don't own Naruto. Also, please review! I don't have much laid out for this, so if you want more of certain characters/teams/action/romance, say so! (If you ask for Romance, I will do a time skip because thirteen-year-old kids getting it on is just creepy).**

**\AN**

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**Chapter 2: Bells**

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**Jiraiya swished the remaining sake in his saucer before downing the drink. A quick glance at Tsunade showed that she had finished her saucer as well and was already reaching for the jug. Leaning backward the new jounin took a moment to relax and just take in the world around him. The soft light of the bar, the warm burn of the sake on his throat, Tsunade's…assets…everything seemed better now that he was finally a jounin. Everything that is, except for Sarutobi and Orochimaru. That bastard Sarutobi had given him and Tsunade genin teams already, giving some lame excuse about them being good teachers. Somehow, Orochimaru had escaped the same fate –jerk hadn't even bothered to show up and help them celebrate their last few hours of freedom.

"Anothar?"

Jiraiya couldn't suppress a smirk as Tsunade began to slur her words. If he had any say in the matter, she was going to be completely smashed by the time she met her genin team.

"Fill it up Tsu-chan!"

Tsunade sent him a nasty look over the table, but began filling his saucer anyway.

"Don't call me dat."

Jiraiya didn't even try to hide his smile.

"We were supposed to meet our teams fifteen minutes ago—that gives us at least another four rounds. What do you say, Tsu-chan?"

Across from him, Tsunade downed her saucer and slammed it authoritatively onto the table.

"Bring it."

* * *

An hour later, Jiraiya and Tsunade appeared in a swirl of leaves at training ground 3. In front of them stood two groups of genin separated from each other by a good hundred feet. On the left, an agitated girl with bright red hair paced back and forth in front of a silver-haired boy who was apparently sleeping and a brown-haired girl flipping through the pages of a book. Turning to his right, Jiraiya found a black-haired boy sparring with a blond, while a raven-haired girl threw kunai at a tree a few feet away.

"Team 7, where you at?"

At the sound of Jiraiya's voice, the two boys who had been sparring stopped; the blond one gesturing towards his group.

With a smirk, Jiraiya turned to Tsunade—who looked to be using every ounce of her concentration to stay standing.

"Looks like the hardworking ones are mine. Have fun!"

Tsunade grimaced at Jiraiya's all too cheerful voice.

"Bastard."

Jiraiya slowly approached his team, taking time to observe his genin. The blond-haired boy who waved him over stood taller than the rest; he wore black pants that fit loosely, black sandals, and a long-sleeved white shirt that buttoned down the front. With a smirk, Jiraiya noted red flames along the edges of the garment. Next to him stood a boy with spiky, shoulder-length ebony hair, most of which was pulled back into a ponytail. Like the blond, he wore loose black pants and black sandals, but with the addition of tape wrapping his ankles, hands, and forearms. A short-sleeved gray shirt with white trimming completed the ensemble. Both boys seemed to be carrying only the standard ninja bag on their belts. Turning to the girl, Jiraiya immediately recognized the red and white logo of the Uchiha clan; the girl wore white shorts with blue sandals and a long-sleeved blue shirt. A pouch rested against her right thigh and another behind her back. Her short, dark blue hair was left unbound to hang in front of her eyes.

"Yo! I'm Jiraiya, and I'm going to be your sensei—that is, of course, if you survive today."

Jiraiya let the smile on his face shift suddenly from friendly to sadistic.

"Before you get too exicted, I have another test for all of you." With a flourish, Jiraiya pulled two bells out of his pocket. "If you get a bell, you pass. If you don't, you go back to the academy."

'_Thanks for this exercise Sarutobi! I'll be genin-less before the end of the day!'_

"So one of us goes back no matter what"

Jiraiya nodded in the direction of the Uchiha girl.

"That's right. No matter what one of you goes back. You have four hours. We start in three…two…one…"

All three genin broke for cover as the last word left their intimidating sensei's lips.

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Tsunade watched as Jiraiya approached his genin, then produced two bells with an overly grand gesture.

'_He's doing that one, huh?'_

"Team 8! Follow me, we're gonna give seben some room."

The red-haired girl shot her a glare, while the brown-haired girl snapped her book closed and got up to follow. The boy sleeping on the ground, however, made no attempt to move.

Stalking over to the sleeping boy, Tsunade lowered her head until it was mere inches from his face—struggling to keep her balance at the same time.

"I said, WAKE UP!"

Tsunade's chakra-infused fist made contact with the ground beside the unsuspecting genin, splitting the earth around her and launching Sakumo into the air.

Tsunade let out only a grunt of surprise as the boy twisted in midair and landed gracefully near the exit.

'_Damn showoff'_

Tsunade's voice dropped to a growl as she stalked unstably towards the exit.

"Let's go"

* * *

Hiding behind a tree, Minato watched the jounin who had identified himself as their instructor. This 'Jiraiya' stood in the center of the clearing, the two bells hanging on his belt. The jounin himself wore the traditional leaf uniform and had his spiky white hair tied into a long ponytail. At the moment, he appeared to be scribbling on a notepad.

'_Let's see what we're dealing with'_

Reaching into the pouch at the small of his back, Minato grasped three kunai with his right hand and three shuriken with his left. In a single fluid movement he sent all six projectiles streaking towards the jounin.

Jiraiya's movements were almost too fast for him to follow; the jounin dodge the kunai and caught each shuriken around a different finger—never once looking away from his notepad.

'_Damn'_

Minato sped away from his now compromised position, jumping into a tree several yards away.

'_There's no way any of us are getting those bells alone'_

Reaching into his pouch, Minato withdrew two kunai, two explosive tags, and a brush.

Standing in the middle of the clearing, Jiraiya continued to analyze his students. All three had the good sense to run for cover, but only the blond had actually attacked him. Things were looking good—for him. The three clearly weren't cooperating and in an hour or so he would go on the offensive and pick them apart.

Jiraiya couldn't stop a smirk as the blond tried again; maybe if he caught the kunai with his feet the boy would get the idea. A moment later, Jiraiya noticed the paper tags trailing behind the kunai and decided it would be best to just dodge. No sense in getting blasted trying to do a cool trick. Gathering chakra in his feet, Jiraiya waited…and then watched as the kunai sailed past him. The blond's aim had apparently deteriorated significantly. Jiraiya waited for the explosions, preparing himself in case they were intended as a diversion.

For his part, Kaen managed not to scream when one of the kunai landed inches away from his head, and then again when he saw the attached explosive tag. Swallowing hard, the genin started to slowly backpedal away from the kunai when the tag fluttered in the wind, and he saw Minato's handwriting on the opposite side. Stepping forward, Mikoto pulled the tag off the kunai that had lodged itself in the tree near her, reading the sloppy handwriting.

'In 30 minutes, initial ranged attack. I will close, then Kaen. When he stops us, you ambush and grab bells. One chance, go all out.'

Jiraiya looked longingly back towards Konoha's entertainment sector. This exercise had really begun to drag. His damn team hadn't made a move since the blond one had thrown a few kunai and shuriken at him—nearly 30 minutes ago! The kids weren't supposed to just run away.

'_Not that I blame them'_

Chuckling to himself, Jiraiya nearly missed the sound of kunai and shuriken slicing through leaves.

'_About damn time'_

From the sound of it, it wasn't just one of them either. With a grin, the jounin put away his notepad and began dodging the projectiles being thrown at him. Glimpsing movement from his right Jiraiya turned and found the blond rushing towards him, kunai drawn.

Minato rushed headlong into defeat—he had long ago accepted that. His role was distraction. Reaching Jiraiya, he faked a punch before whipping his leg around in a roundhouse kick—the jounin in front of him blocked the attack effortlessly.

"Lesson One: Tai—"

Jiraiya was cut off as he jumped to avoid a leg sweep from the black-haired boy. Capitalizing on the moment, Minato lunged for the bells as Kaen changed levels and swung another kick at Jiraiya's face. Jiraiya twisted his body in the air and blocked Kaen's kick with his forearm—leaving Minato to grasp the air where the bells had been moments before.

Mikoto's kick nearly caught Jiraiya off guard; at the last moment he caught the girl's foot, grunting under the force of the blow. In a show of athleticism, the Uchiha twisted—inverting herself and reaching for the bells at his waist.

'_I need some distance'_

As Jiraiya's feet made contact with the ground, he charged them with chakra—preparing to launch himself into the air and away from his obnoxiously coordinated genin.

Jiraiya pushed off—and didn't move. A moment too late, Jiraiya saw the blond genin with kunai dug into the ground—anchoring them to the earth. Increasing the chakra to his feet, Jiraiya tore himself away from his assailants, but not before Mikoto's hand closed around one of the bells at his waist.

Flipping gracefully, Jiraiya landed in a crouch a short distance away.

'_Damn brats got a bell. Tsunade is never going to let me live this down.'_

With a long sigh, Jiraiya stood up, preparing to inform his team that they had passed the test with flying colors.

Several yards away, Minato watched as his sensei landed in a crouch.

"Did we get the bells?"

Mikoto smiled, holding up a bell for Kaen and Minato to see.

"**We** didn't get any bells-I got one though."

The Uchiha girl paused to let her words sink in.

"Have fun boys."

Mikoto turned and walked a short distance away, sitting down to watch the remainder of the exercise.

"You bitc—", Minato grabbed Kaen before he could show their teammate exactly how he felt about her.

"Kaen, just concentrate on the last bell. Maybe if we do well enough he'll let both of us stay as well."

Kaen managed to grunt his assent while sending another glare towards Mikoto.

A short distance away, Jiraiya watched his team with renewed interest.

'_Maybe this won't be a waste after all.' _

Unsurprisingly, the next two hours passed with little headway for the two remaining members of team 7. Sweat pouring down his face, Minato grunted as he hit the ground; Kaen landed next to him a moment later.

"This isn't working."

Rolling to his stomach, Kaen shot the blond next to him a nasty look.

"Really? I couldn't tell."

Struggling back to his feet, Kaen offered a hand to Minato. Glancing at the sun, then taking Kaen's hand, Minato managed to gain his feet.

"We only have a few minutes left. We should use those two."

With a deep breathe, Kaen nodded and then rushed towards their sensei. Leaping into the air, Kaen aimed a kick at Jiraiya's head, dropped for a leg sweep, then swung a right hook at his face. With every move, he met either Jiraiya's block or only air. In the past two hours, he hadn't landed a single blow, and now he did his best to just block the jounin's view of his teammate. After ten seconds, he felt the surge in Minato's chakra that he had been waiting for. Stopping mid-punch, Kaen dove to the side.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

As soon as the words left Minato's mouth, a blast of flame followed—completely enveloping their jounin instructor. As the flames faded, Minato saw a charred log where Jiraiya had once stood.

"That's a nice little trick."

Jiraiya smiled at the boy, stepping out from behind a nearby tree.

"Good teamwork, too"

Jiraiya shifted his gaze to the black-haired boy—who was crouched, his hands held in a sign he vaguely recognized.

Jiraiya attempted to distance himself from whatever the boy had planned—and found that he could no longer move.

"Kage mane no jutsu: success"

"You must be a Nara, huh?"

Kaen only smirked at his teacher. Jiraiya's focus switched to the blond boy who was now rushing towards the remaining bell on his belt. Jiraiya let his gaze flick back to the Nara boy and returned his smirk.

"Ninjutsu like that only work when you're close to your opponent's level."

Allowing his chakra to spike, Jiraiya overwhelmed the black-haired genin's jutsu, grabbed his partner's outstretched hand, and effortlessly threw the blond into his teammate.

"It was a good try."

Beneath Minato, Kaen gasped for air.

"We give. We're done."

Standing above them, Jiraiya frowned.

'_These two were doing well, but to give up…'_

Schooling his features, the jounin looked down on his students.

"Are you two sure? You have three more minutes."

"We're sure."

Again, it was the Nara boy who spoke for them—his hand on the blond's shoulder.

Raising his voice, Jiraiya turned towards the Uchiha girl.

"We're finished. Come on over."

In a moment, his three genin stood before him.

"One of you managed to get a bell."

The Uchiha girl reached into her pouch and withdrew the bell, stepping forward to place it in Jiraiya's outstretched hand. On the end of the line, Kaen's wrist flicked forward. The kunai struck the bell perfectly, snapping the thin thread that Mikoto held, and carrying its target airborne. Trailing behind it, flames lapped at a paper tag.

Kaen smirked as the exquisite sound of the explosion washed over him.

"Looks like none of us got a bell"

Minato discreetly stepped towards Jiraiya and out from between his teammates.

Mikoto spared once last glance towards the shrinking ball of flame in the sky before rounding on Kaen with a smile.

"Too bad the exercise was over. Jiraiya-sensei saw that I got a bell."

Kaen met Mikoto's smile with one of his own before letting his features relax into confident victory.

"Actually, there were still two minutes left."

Not even Minato could suppress is laughter at the look of shock and anger that crossed Mikoto's face.

"If Minato and I are going down, you're coming with us."

Deciding it was better that his genin didn't try to kill one another, Jiraiya stepped between the Uchiha girl and Nara boy, raising his voice to drown both of them out.

"The exercise is over. No one managed to retrieve a bell. That said, you should have realized long ago that this exercise wasn't about whether or not you got a bell—it was about teamwork."

Jiraiya paused to let his words register.

"I wanted to know whether you could overcome your selfish desire to retrieve a bell in pursuit of a common goal—to do well as a team. Honestly, I'm not quite sure what to do with you three."

Pausing again, Jiraiya surveyed his genin, finally letting his gaze rest on Minato.

"You did well. You analyzed the situation, and placed the team before yourself. Those notes were a good idea. Most importantly, though, you predicted my response to your team's attack and secured a victory because of that."

Jiraiya's gaze moved to Kaen next.

"You, Nara, I'm a little less sure of. You worked well with the blond and initially the Uchiha, but when she took the bell, you showed a desire to bring others down if you couldn't have the same success. That said, your last stunt was well-executed, and I'm happy to see that your partner", Jiraiya's head inclined towards Minato, "trusted you enough to follow your lead."

Finished with the boys, Jiraiya turned towards his remaining genin.

"I'm the least sure of you, Uchiha. From what little I saw, your personal skills are excellent—but you cooperated with your teammates only as long as they were useful to your own ends. Of everyone, you were the most selfish. The only reason you got a bell was because of the other two's efforts, but you still repaid them with betrayal."

Mikoto had noticeably stiffened under Jiraiya's words, her fists slowly clenching and unclenching themselves. Jiraiya's pause proved too much as Mikoto threw back her head and glared defiantly at her sensei, releasing the retort she had been biting back during his critique.

"The shinobi world isn't so nice and pleasant. They were both a liability, and probably would have taken the bells for themselves if I hadn't done it first. Trusting other shinobi is stupid."

Jiraiya's voice drowned out both Kaen and Minato's denials.

"You're right about one thing little girl."

Jiraiya lowered himself until he was looking the Uchiha in the eyes, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone.

"The shinobi world isn't nice. Do you know what a single shinobi is? No? I'll tell you. A shinobi by themselves is dead—without friends, without teammates, without a village, you'll be hunted down and killed. I don't care how strong you think you are or will be; you'll die alone, and you'll die quickly. Trusting others leaves open the possibility of betrayal—but not trusting others means a quick death. The Nara boy's justification may have been wrong, but he was right when he said that you three succeed or fail together."

Standing, Jiraiya's features returned to the relaxed, happy look he had first greeted them with. In front of him, all three genin visibly relaxed.

"I've decided to keep you three, but just barely. I know you can work well as a team—when you want to. From now on," Jiraiya's face again became sinister, "you better want to". After a final inspection of his genin, Jiraiya turned and began walking towards the exit.

"Meet here tomorrow at 5am."

Minato, Kaen, and Mikoto stifled a groan and watched as their strange sensei walked away from them. Only a few short steps later the jounin turned around.

"What are your names by the way?"


	3. Chakra Paper

**AN: As always, your comments are appreciated, and I don't own Naruto. /AN**

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**Chapter 3: Chakra Paper**

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"Serpent-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger! Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

Kaen inhaled, filling his lungs to capacity. Infusing chakra into the sealed air and then exhaling, Kaen felt the warmth of the flames against his cheeks…and struggled to see the minuscule ball of fire he had produced. A short distance away, Minato broke into laughter.

"At this rate, Nara, you'll be able to toast a marshmallow sometime before you're fifty."

Mikoto launched another shuriken at the projectile riddled tree in front of her, pretending to ignore Kaen's glare.

Kaen fixed accusing eyes on Minato next as his voice dropped to a pleading tone.

"What's the trick? How do you do it?"

"I already told you everything I know."

Minato only shrugged as Kaen's eyes got progressively wider, stifling a laugh as the boy's lower lip began to tremble.

"You probably don't have any affinity for fire"

All three team 7 genin spun towards the new voice. Now the center of attention, Sakumo felt a blush creeping up his cheeks as his eyes snapped to the ground in front of him. Managing to mumble out a "sorry", Sakumo quickly continued walking past the other genin, heading towards his team's area on the other side of the training ground.

As soon as the silver-haired Sakumo was out of earshot, Kaen turned to his teammates in a conspiratorial whisper.

"What does that mean?"

* * *

Kushina watched Sakumo approach their designated meeting spot through narrowed eyes.

"I'm glad you could make it. You may not have realized it, but WE'VE BEEN MEETING AT 7AM FOR THE LAST WEEK!"

Glancing absently at the sun, Sakumo figured it was probably around 9.

"I beat sensei, didn't I? What she doesn't know can't hurt her."

Taki didn't look up from her book at Sakumo's arrival or Kushina's greeting, waving only an absent 'hello' at Sakumo as he lay down on the grass next to her.

Relaxing on the not quite comfortable ground, Sakumo closed his eyes and shut out Kushina's yelling. The last week had been a long one. Tsunade was perpetually late, but when she arrived she ran them ragged—even if it was with mundane exercises and 'D' rank missions.

'_I have at least another half hour to sleep before that tyrant shows up, though'_

Sakumo suppressed a shiver at the thought of what awaited them today. Slowly, Sakumo felt his tired muscles relaxing on the hard-packed dirt and all too short grass, the morning sun's gentle rays warming his fac—

The sunlight abruptly disappeared, leaving him feeling cold and cheated. Sakumo managed to crack open one of his eyes to investigate the source of the disturbance and found himself staring into a pair of ebony eyes scarcely inches above him.

"Hiya!"

Sakumo swallowed a scream.

"What are you doing? Get away from him!"

Kushina rushed to her teammate's rescue, forcibly removing Kaen from Sakumo's immediate vicinity.

"Whaaa! I just wanted to ask him a question!"

Sakumo watched as Kushina wrestled the foreign genin into a headlock.

"You didn't need to creep up on us if you were just going to ask a question! What are you really doing? Spying?"

Kushina raised her fist threateningly.

"I wasn't sneaking! It's not my fault if ya'll are deaf and blind!"

Beside Sakumo, Taki closed her book and met Kaen's gaze with a half smile.

"Don't group me with them. I knew you where coming."

"See! I wasn't sneaking!"

Despite Taki's admition, Kushina's grip around Kaen's neck tightened.

"Just ask your stupid question."

Several long seconds passed in silence.

Kushina's voice became, if possible, even more agitated.

"Hurry up and ask already!"

Sakumo finally recovered enough from the shock of Kaen's greeting to take in the situation.

"Umm…Kushina…I don't think he can breathe…"

Looking down, Kushina found that Kaen's face had taken on a faintly blue tint as he tapped weakly on her arm.

"Oh…"

With a gasp, Kaen felt Kushina release the hold and air fill his lungs. After several minutes of coughing, Kaen managed to stand and address Sakumo.

"What did you mean about *cough* me not having any fire affinity?"

With a long sigh, Sakumo gestured for Kaen to sit in front of him. Glaring at Kaen, Kushina took a seat next to Sakumo—positioned so she could choke out Kaen if he posed a threat…or made another stupid comment. Moving to the space Sakumo had gestured to, Kaen seated himself, then turned and gave a thumbs up to the distant Minato.

Sakumo closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, trying to remember what he'd read about elemental affinities. Finally organizing his thoughts, Sakumo reopened his eyes and found himself surrounded by not only his teammates and Kaen, but also the remaining members of team 7. Fighting desperately to keep his voice steady and a furious blush from climbing his face, Sakumo began to relate everything he knew about the topic.

"There are five different elements: water, fire, wind, earth, and lightning. Chakra can be combined with any of these elements in a jutsu. For instance, that fireball jutsu you were trying to do is a fire jutsu. Likewise, there exists water, wind, earth, and lightning jutsu. Shinobi are born with certain affinities for these elements—most can use only one of them at first. You can get better with an element with practice, but natural affinity seems to be pretty important."

Taking a deep breath, Sakumo looked at his enraptured audience.

"I think that's why you're having so much trouble with the jutsu you were trying to learn—you're probably not a fire-type."

"Or he just sucks."

Mikoto's comment drew laughter from Kushina and a smile from Taki. Ignoring them, Kaen pressed Sakumo further.

"How do I figure out what my affinity is?"

Sakumo ran a hand through his silvered hair as he desperately tried to recall what the book had said.

"I think there's some kind of test…"

"That's right, there is."

Intent on Sakumo, none of the genin had noticed the sudden arrival of their sensei.

Jiraiya couldn't contain his laughter as all six genin jumped, looking like they'd been caught stealing jutsu scrolls from the library.

"Relax. I don't think you were doing anything forbidden. Sakumo was correct; there is a test", Jiraiya paused in thought, "and if you work hard enough today team 7, I might just give it to you."

Tsunade felt three pairs of expectant eyes fall on her.

"Fine. You too team 8."

"Yosh!"

* * *

'_204'_

Sakumo felt another drop of sweat roll down his face and into his eyes; blinking to rid himself of the burning sensation, Sakumo drew himself upwards again.

'_205'_

Sparing a glance to his left and right, Sakumo found that his comrades in misery weren't fairing any better than he was. A groan escaped him as his muscles relaxed, and gravity dragged his body back down.

'_I should never have told that woman I was interested in taijutsu.'_

It had seemed so innocent at the time. Tsunade had looked at them, and just asked about taijutsu. Everyone who was unfortunate enough to raise his or her hand had been subjected to exercise after exercise. For the last four hours Sakumo had done more push ups, sit ups, kicks, and punches that he thought was humanly possible. Now, they were doing pull ups.

"That woman is evil"

Kaen punctuated every word with a gasp for breath; Sakumo heard grunts of agreement from Minato and Kushina. A short distance away, Tsunade peeled an apple with one of her kunai, smiling as she watched the genin struggle.

"Ten more minutes and then you get a surprise!"

Next to Sakumo, Kean gritted his teeth.

"She sounds so damn cheerful."

The next ten minutes were a haze of pain for the four genin under Tsunade's command. When the tyrant herself finally dropped to the ground in front of them, all four let go of the branch they had been gripping and fell to the ground in a heap—too tired to care about breaking the fall.

Tsunade smiled as she watched her genin.

"Now, we start sparring. On your feet—I don't like beating on those too weak to even stand."

Tottering to his feet, Minato faced the blond jounin.

"We're fighting…"

Tsunade smiled at the boy, pulling her gloves on.

"That's right. You're all fighting me."

_-Around the same time in the forests surrounding Konoha-_

Jiraiya pushed off the tree branch leaping just out of range of the genin following him.

"If you don't hurry up, I'm going to lose you!"

Behind him, Taki and Mikoto gritted their teeth, willing their aching legs to move faster. They had been chasing Jiraiya for four hours so far, and the man hadn't even begun to fade.

"Where were we…oh yes—Dog, Rabbit, Horse! What's the jutsu?"

Laughing, Jiraiya continued to speed from tree to tree as the genin behind him desperately racked their brains for the jutsu he'd given.

* * *

Jiraiya glanced at the sky—it had turned dark nearly two hours ago, but his genin had still been holding a decent pace at the time. Now, however, the two girls were barely able to keep moving.

'_Looks like it's time to head back'_

Jiraiya changed direction, heading back towards training ground 3.

Two miles later, he cleared the trees surrounding the clearing they used for training—immediately hearing the sound of combat on the other side of the field. Jiraiya paused, waiting for the genin behind him to reach the clearing as well.

"We're going to go check up on the others. Whatever's happening over there, don't interfere unless I tell you to."

Jiraiya smirked as an explosion reverberated through the clearing.

'_She must be doing a number on them.'_

Approaching the sound of combat, Jiraiya could make out Tsunade standing on what used to be flat ground. Behind various pieces of cracked and upturned earth crouched smaller forms.

'_Good, they're still alive'_

As Jiraiya, Mikoto, and Taki neared the upturned battlefield, the smaller forms crouched among the rocks began to move. Jiraiya caught a flash of blond hair rushing Tsunade, followed quickly by three other forms closing as well.

'_Minato's leading the way again…'_

The assault was solid—especially for how exhausted the genin must be. Nonetheless, every last one was sent rolling back across the ground; swiftly dispatched by their jounin opponent.

Sensing a break in the combat, Jiraiya stepped forward and walked between the combatants—just in time to forcibly restrain Kushina from leaping into another attack.

"We're done for now—Kushina calm down!"

Jiraiya grunted as the girl continued to struggle for a moment, before falling limp.

'_Damn that girl still has a lot of fight.'_

Releasing the now subdued redhead, Jiraiya smiled and addressed the weary genin.

"If you could all sit over there", Jiraiya motioned towards the nearest patch of flat ground, "I have a promise to keep."

As the genin hobbled to the designated area, Jiraiya reached into his vest and produced a small scroll. Unrolling the scroll, Jiraiya searched for the symbol he wanted—finally spotting it, he bit his finger and smeared blood across the parchment. With a soft 'pop' and some smoke, a small stack of vanilla squares appeared on the scroll. Grabbing the pieces, Jiraiya began to hand one to each of the genin.

Behind Jiraiya, Tsunade cleared her throat.

"Jiraiya's handing out chakra paper. When you get a piece, channel a small amount of chakra into it. Water and fire affinities will be fairly obvious", Tsunade nodded to where the paper in Mikoto and Minato's hands had burst into flame. "Wind-types will have the paper split, lightning will cause the paper to crumple, and earth-types will have the paper turn to dirt and crumble."

Tsunade smirked as each of the genin looked intently at the paper in their hands. Holding his piece out, Sakumo channeled a small amount of chakra into the square and watched as it quickly crumpled.

'_Lightning'_

Looking to his left, Sakumo saw Taki brushing the remains of her paper off the palm of her hand.

"You're an earth-type?"

Taki smiled at her friend.

"Looks like I'm your weakness! You better watch out!"

Further down the line, Minato watched the remains of his paper slowly disappear in flames.

"Kaen, what did—"

Minato's question was interrupted by the wet smack of Kaen's paper against his cheek.

Mirroring the grin on Kaen's face, Minato peeled the soaked paper off his skin.

Jiraiya turned to Kushina last, watching as the paper split cleanly in half. Satisfied that all the genin now knew their affinity, Jiraiya cleared his throat.

"There-promise kept. And as a thank you for all of your hard work, you can all take the next two days off."

"You both have a mission don't you?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at Kushina's question.

"Don't you think your amazing instructors would just give you a day off?"

Jiraiya's answer was a resounding 'No' from all of the genin.

With a long sigh, Jiraiya scratched the back of his head, giving his students a sheepish smile.

"I guess we'll see you when we get back from our mission."


	4. Friends and Enemies

**AN: Hello, I was rereading the story so far and decided I needed to speed things up—so here we go. Also, thanks to Shikazu Nara for the review! I've been assuming that the Nara clan's shadow manipulations are just a clan ninjutsu (possibly with some affinity for the ninjutsu involved), but don't have any elemental representation (i.e. it's similar to rasengan). \AN**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Friends and Enemies**

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* * *

**

Sakumo rolled over in his bed, desperately trying to ignore the pounding on his door. Despite his best attempts, his body refused to return to blissful sleep. With a loud yawn, the silver-haired boy drew himself out of his bed—wincing as he forced his aching muscles into movement. Absently kicking the old clothes in his path into one of the many piles that were forming in his room, Sakumo made his way past the cracked table and single chair. Pulling open the refrigerator, Sakumo surveyed his options—deciding, like every other day, on a simple piece of bread.

Sakumo stepped out of his small apartment minutes later, deliberately avoiding Taki's glare.

"About time Hatake."

Taki's only response was a mumbled 'sorry' from her silver-haired teammate.

Grabbing the slothful Sakumo's arm, Taki half dragged her teammate towards training ground 3.

Slipping through the small opening in the chain-link fence, Sakumo managed to recover enough to disentangle his arm from Taki's. Walking side-by-side into the clearing that had been their second home for the last year, the pair found Minato and Kaen sparing.

"Don't you two ever get sick of that? I swear it's the only thing you do."

Without breaking from the quick successions of kicks and punches, both genin responded in unison to Taki's question.

"Nope; besides it's an important part of our training."

Next to Taki, Sakumo blanched.

"Guys…that was scary…"

Abruptly, one of Minato's kicks landed harder than Kaen had expected. Sakumo watched as the later barely lost his balance…and immediately slammed into the ground.

Gasping for breathe, Kaen struggled to stand.

"Guess I'm not used to the increase yet."

Across from him, Minato nodded his agreement.

"They've been getting bigger"

Staring at the duo, Sakumo voiced the question a moment before Taki could.

"What's increasing?"

Collapsing into a seated position, Minato grinned at Sakumo.

"It started a little after the day we learned about our elemental affinities—you know, the one where we all trained together?"

Nodding their understanding, Sakumo and Taki sat down next to Kaen and Minato.

"Well, Jiraiya-sensei had us start wearing weights-it's supposed to make us faster. Every week we increase the amount."

As if to lend credence to Minato's words, Kaen gestured to the bands wrapped around his ankles, wrists, and waist.

Taki's eyes widened in understanding, "That's why you're always sparring—to get used to the extra weight."

"Do…do you think I could get some of those weights too?"

Finishing his request, Sakumo quickly glanced at the boys in front of him—waiting for the inevitable denial. Instead, he found Kaen and Minato grinning at him.

"Of course! In fact, I think I have an old pair in my bag for starters."

At Sakumo's nod, Minato began to slowly crawl to where his bag sat on the ground.

Watching Minato crawl away, Kaen's face suddenly became thoughtful.

"It's been a long time since both our teams have had a day off—what do you guys say we do some joint training?"

Beside Sakumo, Taki leaned forward.

"What do you have in mind?"

Scratching the back of his head, Kaen sent Sakumo and Taki a sheepish smile.

"To be honest, I know a few good water jutsu, and I was thinking a lightning jutsu would be pretty useful", Kaen's eyes shifted to Sakumo," you know because water conducts electricity…mostly…"

Sensing reservation in the team 8 genin across from him, Kaen pushed forward.

"Not that it wouldn't be mutual. I know water jutsu, and Minato knows some fire jutsu. It would be like a trad—"

"I don't think we should."

Kaen stifled a groan at Kushina's appearance.

"He probably just wants to get information on us, so when we fight they can take us down."

Glaring at the girl, Kaen fired back.

"I don't think any of us are going to go rogue nin, so the only times we'd be fighting each other would be for status. I don't know about you, but I think making everyone stronger is slightly more important than who gets chuunin first."

Kushina just glared at the black-haired boy in front of her, including Minato when he reappeared with a set of five black bands. Looking slightly confused by Kushina's frosty greeting, Minato handed the weights with some effort to Sakumo before returning to his spot near Kaen.

"So, what do you say?"

Holding the weights, Sakumo gave a single nod—and the group broke out into conversation. After several minutes of explanation and demonstration, even Kushina ventured forward.

"Minato…could you show me that fireball jut-"

"I thought you didn't like the idea of sharing?"

Kushina glared at a grinning Kaen.

"I wasn't talking to you, Nara."

Tapping her foot impatiently, Kushina turned to Minato, already regretting asking him for help. To her surprise, Minato was smiling. Despite herself, Kushina felt a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Well, Namikaze?"

Minato smiled at her for a moment longer before replying.

"Of course, Kushina. Come over here, and I'll show you."

* * *

With the exception of Mikoto's arrival, the rest of the day passed with little change, all of the genin sharing techniques with one another—albeit, some with more reluctance than others.

Taki watched as the sun began to dip over the horizon, signaling an end to the day's training. Nearby, Kaen and Sakumo had begun to complain loudly about their lack of supper.

"What do you say we go to dinner? I've heard Ichiraku's is having a special."

Taki smiled as both Kaen and Sakumo immediately perked up at the word.

"Team 7 is in!", Kaen announced without even bothering to consult his teammates.

Taki surveyed her teammates and found both hesitating. She had intended to pay for Sakumo, so paying for both wouldn't be too much of a stretch.

"C'mon team 8, it's my treat."

At these words, both Kushina and Sakumo readily agreed. All six genin began to retrieve the scrolls, kunai, and shuriken that had been used in their training session. When everything was packed, Taki lead the way out of the training ground and into downtown Konoha.

The village hidden in the leaves had long since ceased to be a village; Konoha was a thriving city full of not only ninjas, but also civilians offering every kind of service or good. Making their way through the crowded streets, the six genin wandered their way towards the best ramen stand in the city. Turning down one of the quieter streets, the six genin passed a brown-haired boy leaning against the side of a dango restraunt. As they passed, the boy's ebony eyes glanced over their group, widening when he reached Mikoto.

"Mikoto, what are you doing out here? And what are you doing with _them_?"

The six genin stopped, turning towards the boy who was now walking towards them. He stood taller than all of them—likely a few years their senior. He wore black pants and a black shirt bearing the Uchiha clan symbol on the back. Stepping forward, Kaen placed himself between the unknown ninja and the rest of the group, sending the former a glare.

"What's it to you?"

"Mikoto, we're going back."

The Uchiha boy stepped forward, attempting to brush past Kaen, who immediately placed his hand on the older ninja's chest—preventing him from moving forward. Without warning, the older ninja twisted Kaen's arm, placing him in a painful hold with a kunai at his throat.

"Don't ever touch me, trash."

Everyone except Mikoto drew weapons, spreading out to surround the unknown Uchiha boy.

"Fugaku, please let him go. I'm coming."

With a grunt, the older boy shoved Kaen into Minato, replaced his kunai, and began walking in the direction of the Uchiha compound. Mikoto followed Fugaku without a word.

"Asshole"

Glaring at Fugaku's retreating back, Kaen felt Minato's hand on his shoulder.

"Let's just go eat."

The five remaining genin navigated the final distance to Ichiraku's without issue. Ducking into the stand moments before the first drops of rain descended, they seated themselves on the soft stools. The smell of ramen assaulted their senses as they waited to be served. After a few moments, a young man approached the group whipping out both a notepad and a bright smile.

"Hello! I'm Teuchi! What can I get you?"

Smiling back at the friendly man, Taki began to relay her order.

"I'll take two bowls with every—"

"Teuchi!"

Hearing his boss, Teuchi gave the genin an apologetic smile.

"Yes, sir?"

The elderly man turned away from the noodles cooking in front of him and towards his customers. Beside him, Minato felt Kushina shrink into her chair and away from the counter.

"That one—with that unsightly red hair. Her kind doesn't eat here", the man paused to glare at Kushina, "I had a son at Uzushiogakure when it fell—I know what you are demon bitch."

The old man turned back to the stove with a final glare at Kushina. Standing in front of the genin Teuchi had flushed at his boss' harsh words. Glancing between Kushina and the elderly man he opened his mouth to apologize to the poor girl.

"Don't worry about it; it happens a lot."

Minato looked at Kushina in shock—never had he heard her so defeated. Swallowing hard, Minato watched Kushina slowly stand, her long red hair shifting forward and obscuring her downcast face. Kushina turned away from the light of the ramen stand-Minato glimpsing tears on her cheeks. Without a second thought, Minato pushed away from the counter as well.

"I eat where she does."

Following Minato's lead, Kaen, Sakumo, and Taki slid off their stools and followed Kushina into the pouring rain. After only a few feet, they caught up to their sobbing friend.

"You didn't need to leave too."

"Kushina!"

Taki pulled the red-haired girl into a hug.

The rain poured down, soaking all five genin to the bone. After several long moments, Kushina relaxed into Taki's hug. As Taki released her, Kushina felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she found herself staring into Minato's cerulean eyes.

"We're your friends; we would never stay without you."

Kushina's eyes widened at the blonde's words—unable to break eye contact with him.

"Kids! I'm sorry about that!"

Teuchi's shout freed Kushina from Minato's gaze, allowing her to hide the tears streaming down her face. Seizing her chance, Kushina pushed away from Taki and sprinted into the darkness.

"KUSHINA!"

* * *

Minato landed with a wet smack on the floor; not bothering to move further, the blond boy stripped off his shoes and ninja tools, throwing them in a pile next to the door. Several feet away he saw Kaen's outline doing the same.

"Do you want the light on?"

Mikoto let his head fall back against the wall, considering Kaen's question.

"No. I don't think so."

On the other side of the dark room, Kaen nodded in understanding and waited.

"What happened?"

Kaen kept silent, letting his best friend think through things himself.

"We were at the ramen stand, and then that old man just went after her. We've known Kushina for a long time—she didn't deserve that."

Across the room, Kaen stripped off the last of his wet clothing and slid into a pair of dry pants.

"People are stupid, Minato."

Kaen grabbed a shirt out of his dresser.

"They often do things that are senseless and hurtful."

Minato watched his friend from his slumped seat against the wall.

"Cynic."

Across from him, Kaen smiled.

"Realist."

With another long sigh, Minato shifted his eyes to the ceiling.

"Why did she run from us?"

Minato heard the soft creak of Kaen sliding into his bed.

"She's an orphan."

At Kaen's words, Minato's eyes snapped back to his friend.

"I'm an orphan, too."

In his bed, Kaen yawned, snuggling into the soft mattress.

"Are you? You lost your parents, yes, but you've always had us for a family, too. She lost her entire village—she probably doesn't have anyone."

Minato stared into the dark for a long time, thinking about the night and Kaen's words. Finally standing, he stripped off his wet clothes and slid into a pair of dry shorts before quietly getting into his bed. Staring into the darkness, Minato played through the night again.

"Do you think there's any hope for us? Growing up in a world like this, is there any way for us to avoid the same mistakes?"

* * *

Early the next morning, Kushina sat atop the Hokage monument, looking down on the village that was supposed to be her home. Hugging her knees to her chest, Kushina let her tears flow freely down her cheeks. It had been years since the destruction of Uzushiogakure, and yet, every time she closed her eyes they were there: the screams, the blood, and the pain. Kushina pulled her knees even tighter against her chest, tears escaping her no matter how much she willed them to stop.

"Look! It's the tomato head!"

"My dad said she's a demon!"

"My mom said she murdered her own village!"

Kushina's hands slowly balled into fists as she desperately tried to ignore the children behind her.

'_Just leave me alone…please…'_

Without warning, Kushina felt a sharp stone strike the back of her head.

"Demon!"

Standing, Kushina faced her attackers, wiping the tears from her eyes she met their eyes with all the anger she could muster.

"Watch it! Someday, I'm going to be the Hokage, and then you'll get what you deserve!"

Stepping forward, Kushina swore she could feel a hand on her shoulder holding her back—stopping her from beating the kids into the ground.


End file.
